Confirmed: Paul McCartney to do closing show at San Francisco's Candlestick Park

Paul McCartney will perform a concert at San Francisco's Candlestick Park in August.

Steve Marinucci - used by permission.

Paul McCartney announced on his website April 24 what had been rumored for months that he will help close San Francisco's Candlestick Park with a concert Aug. 14. The concert will come almost 48 years to the day of when the Beatles performed what turned out to be their last scheduled show at the stadium on Aug. 29, 1966.

"Putting the rumor mill to rest, Paul has confirmed that he will indeed return to San Francisco August 14 to play farewell to 'Candlestick: The Final Concert,' a statement on the McCartney website said. The website described the upcoming concert as "doubly bittersweet" because of the Beatles' history at the stadium.

The concert had been discussed since last August when San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phil Matier and Andrew Ross reported that McCartney had suggested the idea while in San Francisco to play the Outside Lands festival. The idea received the support of the city's mayor, Ed Lee, the Chronicle said.

In December, the San Jose Mercury News quoted two San Francisco city officials as saying it was definitely being discussed. "Keep your fingers crossed. It's a possibility," the paper quoted Phil Ginsburg, general manager for San Francisco's Recreation and Parks Department, which operates Candlestick Park.

"We just kept pushing and were persistent and drove the deal down the field," Ginsberg was quoted by the Chronicle today. But earlier this month, the Chronicle reported the San Francisco 49ers football team was talking with Paul McCartney about performing the first concert at their new yet-to-open Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. The idea was criticized by former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown in his own newspaper column.

The San Francisco 49ers, the most recent tenants of the park, open their own new stadium this year. According to latest reports, Candlestick will be demolished in 2015.

Tickets for the new show will go on sale Monday, May 5 at 10 a.m. local time. American Express Card members can purchase tickets before the general public beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 1 . through 10 p.m. May 4.

McCartney's Out There! Tour is currently heading to Lima, Peru, then has scheduled shows in Quito, Ecuador; and San Jose, Costa Rica before heading to Tokyo, and later to the U.S. The 16 U.S. shows begin June 14 in Lubbock, Texas, and include dates in Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, North Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, Minnesota, Utah, and now, California. Tickets for some American shows are available at this link.

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Steve Marinucci's website, Abbeyrd's Beatles Page, is widely regarded as the most accurate Beatles news source on the internet. A former journalist for over 30 years at the San Jose Mercury News, he has interviewed celebrities including Yoko Ono, Pattie Boyd, Mark Lewisohn, David Bedford, Bruce Johnston and May Pang. He is married and has one son. Email him at beatlesexaminer@gmail.com.